The Reigning Theory
by riverbluesbear
Summary: Vilencia's shut-in Royal Family has finally appeared in public after eight years of silence to announce King Thaddius' impending death. Devastated, his beloved country must move on and find a new leader in his son, Prince Jovian, who is holding a selection to find not just a girl, but his future wife, one who will help rule them all SYOC Apps Open
1. Chapter 1

**A\N Hi, everyone! So, I love The Selection Series, and I would love to do one of my own :) Now, I did try to do one once before, but I wasn't getting the characters I wanted and needed, so this time, I want to be very clear with what I am looking for and who I will accept.**

 **First, here is a little intro to the story for you to get a feel for my writing style, the characters, and the plot itself ^^**

King Thaddius was dying. It was no secret to his family that his health had been decaying for years, Attica, his youngest daughter, couldn't remember a time when he wasn't coughing up a storm, or blowing his nose, but no one had expected his life to suddenly be cut so short.

But to Vilencia, it was the shock of a lifetime.

The royal family had kept to themselves. They were not a very social or political family, and many civilians of Vilencia often thought the family didn't want to be royal at all. Thaddius was a good king; kind, resourceful, and fair. He kept his head during the many hardships his country had endured, and always made an appearance for every greivance that had arisen on The Report. Queen Dakota was elegant and faithful, always quick to reassure her country when needed, but in all, the royal family liked their solitude, especially when it came to their children.

Thaddius, and occasionally, when she could, Queen Dakota would appear, but just briefly on The Report every time a child was born to give their name and gender, but that was it. No one knew what their children looked like or how they acted behaviorally and it was a subject of great controversy throughout Vilencia. Mary Townsend, a seasoned reporter, threw out claims of their children being horribly disfigured. Dewy Brightsfield had said they were ugly, misbehaved children, ones that would bring the country great shame. Others said the Queen was infertile and they had no children at all, but did not want to admit it. And some just didn't care.

But on September 14th, a legendary report came to be and brought many secrets to sea, and some theories at bay.

Harriet Gladstone sat down on the plush red chair in front of the large, live studio audience and a matching red couch meant to seat her star guests. Harriet had been doing the show for many years. So many, in fact, her network was toying with the idea of Harriet getting her own talk show: Harriet Speaks. With so much experience under her belt, Harriet felt like a giddy teenager on her first ever studio set.

 _Stop that_! She chastised herself. She was twenty-six, an adult, at her adult job, in her adult studio, on an adult network, doing adult things. She shouldn't be nervous. She shouldn't be shaking. She shouldn't be sweating. She - wait? _She was sweating?!_ "Ugh," Harriet moaned. She wiped away the sweat on her forehead and fixed the corners of her eyeliner that was slowly starting to run. With four years of being the host for The Report, she felt as though she should have been prepared for this, but she wasn't. I mean, who would be ready for an interview with the entire royal family?! Especially when the royal family completely shut others out of their lives?!

"Harriet, you've got two minutes, sweetie." Bill, the director, called out. Harriet smiled and gave him a grateful look and stood over near the stage, readying herself.

"You'll be alright, Harriet." She sighed. "You're going to be alright. Just remember: if you mess up, the king can have your head and then you won't have to worry about hosting your own show, 'cause you'll be dead." She paused, closing her eyes. "O-kay, so _that_ didn't help at all." She opened her eyes again and scanned the audience, only to see them checking their appearances on their phones and taking in deep breaths, and suddenly, she felt a little better. At least she wasn't the only nervous person there that night. Even though she would be on stage alone, the entire crowd felt her same nervousness, and that made her feel, if only slightly, better.

Bill signaled for Harriet to begin, and she readied herself. "Alright, and you're on in three, two..."

Harriet walked out onto the stage and the crowd burst into a loud applause. She smiled and sat down in her plush chair, trying to calm her nerves. "Good morning, Vilencia!" She greeted. Another round of applause sounded through the audience before they quieted down. "Tonight, we've got quite a show for you, but only one guest." Harriet grinned. "That's right, tonight, we've only got one guest, but, perhaps, the best guest of all." She turned and faced the leftmost camera, and caught a glimpse of whom she could only imagine to be the crown prince.

"As some of you may or may not know, tonight, we are hosting Vilencia's own royal family!" The crowd cheered as Harriet nodded and smiled. "The King himself called to come on with his family to announce a very special announcement never before heard until now, so please welcome, King Thaddius and Queen Dakota!" The crowd roared a deafening roar, but Harriet couldn't hear them, in fact, she couldn't even see them. No, everyone and everything around her was a hazy world of blurs and colors, and the only two legible figures throughout the entire mass were The King and Queen themselves standing before her. Harriet hoped her hands weren't as cold and clammy as the rest of her felt as she jutted out her hand for a hand shake.

King Thaddius' brown eyes dropped from Harriet's face to her shaking hand and then back to her face and quirked a warm smile. "My dear, you don't think my wife and I skip The Report, do you?" He asked rhetorically. Harriet's heart started to pound faster before the King's voice came back in. "You give every other guest a hug, so why are we excluded?" Harriet could only imagine what she must've looked like, but she put her hand down and opened her arms tentatively for a hug. King Thaddius gladly accepted and pulled her in for a warm, firm hug and turned his head slightly so his mouth was right to her ear. "Don't be nervous, honey," he soothed, "you're doing just fine." He backed away and let his wife envelope Harriet into a hug that matched her husband's.

The Queen smelled of vanilla and lillies, and rubbed Harriet's back for a moment or two, to calm her nerves. The Queen backed up and joined her husband on the couch, back erect, hands folded on her lap neatly. Dazed, Harriet sat down in her chair, and was only brought back to reality as the cheers finally died down.

"I think I can speak for all here tonight when I say, it is of the greatest honor to have you here." Harriet breathed, eyes wide.

The Queen smiled. "Thank you."

Harriet nodded and cleared her throat, trying to get her thoughts back on track. "Now, your majesty-"

"Oh, please," The King interjected, "call me King Thaddius. Your majesty makes me sound so old."

Queen Dakota snorted jokingly. "Oh yes, dear, as if you're so young." The audience laughed and Harriet smiled gratefully at them and began to feel herself loosen up.

"Right then. So, King Thaddius, after almost an eight year break from The Report after the announcement of the late King Valis' death, what brings you back to the public?"

King Thaddius' easy-going smile turned grim, and he straightened his back and leaned forward. Queen Dakota held his hands with hers and stared at the floor, as if she was waiting for the prolonged moment to be over. "Well, as you all know, my father, former King Valis, died only eight years ago at the very young age of fifty-five." The King cleared his throat, overcome with sudden emotion. "He had Huntington's disease, I'm afraid, which is incurable and which is also...hereditary." The crowd gasped and Harriet felt her heart skip a beat. "And, I have recently been diagnosed with the same disease." The crowd went dead silent and not one sound could be heard. Harriet felt her skin become ice-cold to the touch as she watched the warm, friendly man in front of her shake.

Queen Dakota was the first to break the silence. She looked up, teary-eyed and flushed cheeks, and grabbed Harriet's hand, who grasped The Queen's as tightly as she could to give her some much needed comfort. "The doctors gave Thaddius only twenty years left to live, but his father only lived ten more after his diagnosis, so we are fearing for the worst."

"Qu..." The word died on Harriet's lips as she stared, helpless and at a loss of words at The Queen. A tear slid down Queen Dakota's face as she silently shook next to her husband, and Harriet absent-mindedly stroked her thumb across The Queen's hand. "Dakota," Harriet started bravely. The Queen lifted her head up and stared at Harriet with tears brimming her eyes. "I am so, so sorry for you, and Thaddius, and your children, and I know I can speak on behalf of all of Vilencia, that we will work our hardest to find a cure."

King Thaddius rose his head then, and smiled gratefully at Harriet. "Thank you, my dear." The crowd cheered at the mention for a cure, but Harriet couldn't bring herself to clap back, not with the heavy cloak of sadness dampening the stage. Once the applause died down, Thaddius cleared his throat, and spoke again. "However, I did not come here only to share _my_ news, but I have come to also share the news that will affect all of Vilencia."

Harriet nodded and took the cue. "Yes, please welcome on stage The King and Queen's children, who will be joining us for the rest of the program." The crowd cheered again, and Harriet took this time to compose herself. She let The Queen's hand go and readied herself for what other bombshell announcement could come. King Thaddius and Queen Dakota moved over on the couch to make room for the arriving children.

Their oldest daughter, Imogen, was the first to arrive on stage. She was long and slender, and was the epitome of beauty. Harriet felt almost inferior to Imogen, in terms of just beauty, rather than just strictly social status. She opened her arms and gave Harriet a hug, and Harriet was careful not to hug her too tightly, in fear of breaking the girl.

Imogen sat down next to Queen Dakota as the next child arrived, which was Fallon, the middle daugher, who was clearly going to be just as beautiful as her mother and sister. She held out her hand rather than a hug to Harriet, who would normally find that odd, but seeing as though Fallon rarely saw other people, Harriet would be hesitant to hug as well. The youngest daughter, Attica, skipped down the stage with her hair fastened in pigtails, making the crowd coo at the young girl. Attica practically tackled Harriet into a hug, and engulfed her legs.

Harriet laughed and hugged the young girl back, and watched as Attica bounced onto the couch, before Dakota sat her on her lap so there was enough room for the remaining children. Dalton was the oldest child and currently engaged to the princess of New Asia. He was rather suave and undoubtedly handsome, making Harriet blush as he kissed her hand instead of a hug or rather, a handshake like Fallon. He sat on the couch, never breaking eye contact with Harriet which both comforted and unnerved her.

Finally, the last child to arrive was Prince Jovian. He walked onto the stage confidently, with a small smile, but Harriet could tell he was nervous beyond his wits from the way his fingers were clenched together so tight at the sides of his pants. He gave Harriet a warm hug and a polite smile and sat next to Dalton, towering over his older brother.

"Wow," Harriet breathed, "You have an incredibly beautiful family." The crowd laughed as did Queen Dakota, but King Thaddius let out a bellowing laugh, clasping Harriet tightly on the knee.

"I suppose I do." He chuckled.

Harriet surveyed the children and smiled at them nervously. "So, would you all be willing to reveal your ages to our audience. I'm afraid they might have slipped our minds."

Imogen chuckled politely. "Sure, I'm eighteen years old." Imogen looked down at Fallon expectantly, but upon sharing a look, she returned her gaze back to Harriet. "And Fallon is sixteen years old."

"And how old are you?" Harriet asked Attica who was bouncing delightedly on her mother's lap.

"I'm six years old!" She exclaimed.

King Thaddius leaned in. "Dakota had some complications during her pregnancy with Sera, so we decided it was best if we didn't announce Attica's birth at all. Especially after my father's death so soon before."

Harriet nodded understandingly, and turned to the gaze of Dalton who smiled charmingly. "I'm twenty-three years old."

"And I just turned nineteen." Jovian informed her. Harriet's interest piqued, but Jovian moved on ahead before she could confirm her suspicions. "The reason we are here today, is not only because of my father's illness, but also because I am of age for a selection, and seeing how Dalton is already being married off, I am the only one eligible to become the next King." The crowd sat, stunned, as did Harriet, before Jovian continued. "So, as per tradition, just like my father's selection, and the one before that, I am looking for thirty-five eligible women from every province to come live at the palace with my family and myself, so that I may find my future wife."

Harriet blinked before joining in with the crowd's cheers. "My, Prince Jovian, you don't seemed very thrilled at this notion." Harriet commented.

Jovian nodded with a slight sigh. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm not. My father is dying and instead of being able to spend time with him, I must give out my time to thirty five women, all under pressure to hopefully be my wife. I want to find a wife _my_ way, not through a competition."

Harriet nodded, feeling symathetic for the young prince. "Which is completely understandable." Harriet nodded and looked to Bill who gave her the two minute warning signal. "Alright, Vilencia, I'm afraid that's all we have for you tonight, so tune in tomrrow for another exciting report, and remember: all bachorlettes from ages sixteen to twenty can send in their forms for Prince Jovian's Selection! And once again, another big round of applause for The King and Queen and their children for joining us once again, here on The Report! I'm Harriet Gladstone, and we'll see you tomorrow!" Harriet finished with a wide smile. The King and Queen once again hugged Harriet and thanked her for a wonderful interview, and all of the children bid their goodbyes except for Jovian, who simply gave her a curt nod before leaving, his whole body in a slump.

Harriet didn't know who was more exhausted of the two: the crown prince, or the news anchor who just had on the entire royal family all at once.

 **A\N Alright, so there it is! :D I hope you all liked the first chapter, and now, here are the rules for the girls and your forms! :)**

 **Please create your OWN provinces! I think this is SO cool, and it also tells us a lot about your character. So be creative with it, and have fun, but PLEASE do not use any of the existing provices in the actual series. I want new, made up provinces, 'cause that's just so much more fun!**

 **Please create cool and interesting girls of all colors, body shapes, and personalities! Let's have some brown girls and asian girls, and latinas and native girls, color is always wanted and needed, so let's bring it! For body sizes, not every girl is short, or thin, or curvy. Let's have some bigger girls, and flat girls, and unusually tall girls and really, really skinny girls. This way, it's more realistic, and I love some realism. And finally, for personality, we don't always need strong, silent types, let's have some mean girls, and ditsy girls, and outgoing girls, etc, etc, the more diversity your girl has, the more fun I will have when writing her!**

 **Also, we can always have girls with disabilities, whether that being she's deaf or blind or has one arm, etc, that also calls for some awesome representation that I am here for :)**

 **Okay, so, here's the APP!**

 **Full Name:**

 **Age (16-20):**

 **Sexuality (Let's have some bisexual girls or a lesbian, or maybe even a pansexual girl! Not every girl has to be straight!)**

 **Province (Here, you can just provide the name and what it looks like, the weather, its main export, etc):**

 **Caste:**

 **Occupation:**

 **Celebrity Look Alike (For the Tumblr I'm making :D And please make this realistic to your girl's age):**

 **Is your girl beautiful, cute, pretty, etc (Not every girl is breathtakingly beautiful or stunning. There are varying levels of beauty, so what your girl is, put here):**

 **Types of Dresses She'll Wear:**

 **Any changes to her during the makeover:**

 **Regular Types of Clothing She Likes To Wear:**

 **Personality (PLEASE be overdescriptive for me! PLEASE!):**

 **History (Also detailed, please):**

 **Family (List their names, what they look like, their ages, their jobs, their personalities, and their relationship with your girl):**

 **Things She'll Bring With Her ToThe Castle:**

 **How Would She Behave During An Interview On The Report:**

 **Please Create Three Maids (And include, what they look like, their age, their personality, and how they get along with your girl):**

 **How Will Your Girl Treat...**

 **The Other Girls There (The Selected):**

 **King Thaddius and Queen Dakota:**

 **The Maid Staff (and other faculty):**

 **Prince Dalton:**

 **Princess Imogen:**

 **Princess Fallon:**

 **Princess Attica:**

 **And Prince Jovian:**

 **What Is Your Girl's Strategy:**

 **List One Reason On Why Your Girl Would Ever Leave (Every girl must have one):**

 **How Old You Think The Authoress Is Based On My Writing (I saw a lot of other girls doing this, so I thought I'd give it a try! :D)**

 **And that's it! I'm only accepting twenty girls, so please make your girl realistic but unique, and above all, remember to have fun with it! :D**

 **King Thaddius looks like Terrence Howard**

 **Queen Dakota looks like Kerry Washington**

 **Prince Dalton looks like Tequan Richmond**

 **Prince Jovian looks like Shameik Moore**

 **Princess Imogen looks like Zendaya**

 **Princess Fallon looks like Amandla Stenberg**

 **Princess Attica looks like Yet To Be Found**


	2. Chapter 2

**A\N Hi! :D This is just a quick reminder/update-thing! I haven't gotten that many girls yet, but there are a few things I forgot to mention!**

 **You can submit as many girls as you want; I know a lot of people have multiple girls, so if you want to, go right on ahead :)**

 **And I will try to give every girl a happy ending, even though only one will be with the prince, so never fear! :D**

 **Okay, happy submitting! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A\N Hi, everyone! :D I would love to say that this is a chapter, but sadly, it is not. I have only received a total of six girls and I need twenty, so please, please, please, come up with your girls and please send them in! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A\N Hi, everyone! Please keep sending in your wonderful OCs, but first, here's some more insight on the Royal Family! :D**

Fallon Holden was not a social person. From her lips always formed in a tight line to her performance on The Report, that much was clear. It wasn't like she didn't like others' company or resented something as basic as the human nature, she just didn't see the need or the want for a big crowd around you at all times and asking you all sorts of questions. Jovian genuinely just didn't like talking to others; finding it both a bore and exhausting, and Imogen and Attica lived for attention, though Imogen was more poised than the latter.

However, perhaps the most camera-happy member of their family was Dalton, who just so happened to be Fallon's best friend, who was playfully tugging on her hair as she was trying to read.

"Y'know," She began, "the reason behind us having our own rooms is to hold the purpose of sheer solitude."

Dalton rolled his eyes. "Yes, well my room is currently serving as a room for one of the selected." He informed her bitterly.

That caught Fallon's attention, and the young girl rose from her slacked position against her bed frame and looked at her older brother, who was fiddling with his hair, or lack thereof. "Why just your room?" She asked.

"I don't need it anymore, since I'm being shipped off to New Asia." He frowned. "King Krispen already has our wedding plans well underway, and Elowen has wrote me that her mother has already invited over five hundred guests."

Fallon widened her eyes. "But-But-" She stuttered. "Already?! You guys _just_ got engaged!" Fallon cried. She cleared her throat and sat back against her bed frame, letting the angry red color drain from her face. Dalton scooted forward on the bed and sat closer to her, frowning.

"I know, Fal. But I tried talking to Mom about it, and she said there's nothing we can do. When they say it's time to get married, it's time to get married and then I gotta go."

"New Asia is so far away..." Fallon trailed, mumbling. Dalton ducked his head, observing her closely. "You're leaving and soon Jov's gonna get married. And Imogen and Victor have been eying each other for months and-"

Dalton scoffed, interrupting Fallon's rambling. "Wait - Imogen and Victor? You mean our _servant_ Victor?"

"Yeah, they're crazy about each other and soon they'll get married and then I'll have to get married and Attie, and everyone's gonna leave me!"

"Fallon, no one's gonna-"

"They are!" She cried. "You're leaving and Jovian and Dad's gonna die and then everything's gonna..." Fallon soon lost her steam and collapsed into Dalton's chest who moved over to his younger sister and held her while she started crying. He rested his head on top of hers as she laid her head against his chest and sniffled pathetically. "I don't want you to leave." She muttered then, childishly.

Dalton let out a small chuckle. "I don't wanna leave either, Fally."

Fallon wrinkled her nose and sat up, wiping at her eyes hastily. "Ew," She laughed, "Don't call me Fally. It's so gross."

"You're one to talk," Dalton countered, "Your nose is running like a leaky faucet."

"Whatever." Fallon said shortly, rubbing her nose with her sleeve. She sniffed. "So...do you think Jovian is gonna find his perfect wife? Just like that?" She then found the courage to ask what she really meant. "Do you think Elowen is the one for you?" She asked shyly.

Dalton sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I dunno. I mean, Jov's not really easy to talk to on his own, and being forced into something he clearly doesn't want to do? Those girls are gonna have a real tough time with him." He then smiled smally, but nervously at her, and resisted the urge to sigh again. "As for me, no, Elowen's not the one. She doesn't really fit my criteria."

"Criteria?" Fallon asked, laughing. "And what's that?"

"Well, for one, a penis."

Fallon coughed. Maybe it _was_ shocking, and maybe it because of how matter-of-factly he said it. Either way, Fallon felt the wind had been knocked out of her. Fallon was not a judgy type of girl. For one, it was your life, do what you want with it, and two, frankly, she just didn't care. Hell, Fallon was bisexual herself, but for her brother, her suave, always-flirting-with-somebody brother to be _gay_? That was something to be totally unexpected.

Dalton shifted uncomfortably. "Are you gonna say something? You're kind of scaring me." And then, he had never looked so vulnerable before to her in her life until then. Until he was sitting in a heavy silence, waiting for his sister to give the okay or not, but she saw him relax visibly once he saw her smiling.

"Yeah, it's okay, D." But then she soon stopped smiling. "But what about you? Can't you say something? Talk to Dad or try talking to New Asia's Queen?"

Dalton grimaced. "I don't think so, Fally."

And so they sat, unsure of where they lied, of where their futures would take them, and if their roads were worth taking, but one thing was for sure, they were not the only two anticipating the future. A dying father, a new Queen, a marriage, and thirty-five ladies.

Who could be ready for all that anyways?

 **A\N Yay! :D Okay, so now that we've got that bombshell out of the way, I love you all, and don't you forget to keep on submitting! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A\N Hello, everyone! :D I am not dead! So, I am still doing this story, but so far, I have officially accepted eight girls, so, ideally, I would need twelve more to officially start the story.**

 **For personalities, I need a meaner girl and a real quiet girl as well. For castes, I no longer need twos or sixes. I need threes, fours, fives, and maybe one seven. Maybe.**

 **And also, maybe someone can submit a lesbian? She will also get some love as Imogen is bisexual and I was planning something for her as well and another prince will be visiting the castle, so there's always a love interest for your girl then! :)**

 **Please submit!**

 **Thank you! :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**A\N Hello, everyone! Here is another chapter for you, with some insight onto Jovian's family and his character! :D**

 **Please keep sending in those girls! :D**

Prince Jovian and his family were never especially close. Not to say they hated each other or resented the other's company, but they, disregarding their royal status, were a rather average family. King Thaddius was kind but stern, especially on Dalton, his oldest child and their tie to the kingdom in New Asia. Queen Dakota was more or less of an absent mother, trying to tend to the kingdom's press needs and tend to her ailing husband, but she never failed to comfort her children when needed.

Imogen, from the moment she was born, always flung herself into the limelight...and since they were always to stay hidden at home, she busied herself with entertaining their staff and accompanying her mother on small, social gatherings when given the okay to do so. She enjoyed the attention from others' she was given and relished in small talk and dances, leaving her siblings in the dark. Not that she didn't care for them, but when it came down to it, she would always enjoy being fawned over more.

Fallon and Dalton didn't mind the separation from their sister, seeing as the two were best friends themselves. It was almost an unspoken connection that brought them together and kept them close to each other throughout the years, depite their rather vast age difference. Fallon and Imogen seemed to respect each other's distances and never seemed very inclined to try and pry into each other's lives. When they did speak, it was always quietly and gently, they always left on good terms, and both seemed lighter, happier, almost, but they never went out of their way to interact, either.

And Attica, the sweet thing, was so much younger than her siblings that after a few failed attempts into getting close with them, gave up and instead became her father's cherished child. She was often found curled on his lap, reading him the newpaper or any sort of paper work he was to deal with. His failing eyesight was getting worse and worse each day and Attica was more than happy to lend him her excellent eyesight and surpringly mature reading skill.

And then there was Jovian, stuck in the middle, close to neither his mother or father, or any of his siblings. It wasn't as though he hated any of them or they had a falling out, but, for some reason, he had never been able to connect with his family in the way that he wanted to. Jovian knew he came off as cold and he knew he could be difficult to deal with, but it felt as though no one in his family had given him a chance. They all, more or less, had found companionship within each other, but never with him.

And so, he, gradually, grew to resent them. He hated feeling isolated and alone, watching his family go on through their lives without him, as if he were watching a movie. When his father announced his impending death, Jovian felt nothing. No happiness, no remorse, just a cool sheet of air coating his skin and leaving goosepimples where it had laid. He had quietly given his father his condolences, laced with pity, and simply went on his way, ignoring his mother's choked sobs and Attica's, "No, Daddy!"

The thought of having a selection made Jovian sick. If he couldn't even have a decent relationship with _one_ _member_ of his family, how would he ever be able to hold the interest of thirty-five girls? And then going on dates with them, please - Jovian didn't know much about himself, and he didn't know if he was entertaining or not. Was he smooth, was he fair? Would any of these girls care for him or would they too isolate him and grow closer to each other, much like his family had done?

Jovian flipped through hundreds of girls' names and felt almost compelled to cry. He wanted to write them all letters, telling them to turn back, not to come, get away while you can. They were in over their heads; they thought they'd be getting a wonderful, over prince, one with soft words and kind gestures, but instead, they'd get the closed off Jovian, one full of resentment and disdain, one who was distant with everyone, one who couldn't even really figure out himself. These girls were all too unique and beautiful for him. They had too much going for them and not enough opportunity while Jovian had too much opportunity, but nothing going for him.

In the end, though, he let a server of theirs, Victor, pick out the girls for the selection. Victor was a server of theirs for many years, practically his whole life, yet Jovian never really knew him. Per usual, Imogen would whisk him away in a flurry, wanting him to accompany her and fawn over her, and so he did. But today, Victor himself had wandered into Jovian's quarters, unannounced, and sat next to the prince, flushed with worry and self-doubt. Victor, he noted, was Hispanic descent and smelled of pine needles, though Jovian knew not why. Victor was rather short, but had a lean stature and a strong jaw and kind eyes, so he could see why Imogen was so smitten with him, but he had a hard time figuring why Victor would ever realistically go for Imogen.

She was royalty, yes, but Jovian doubted someone as soft spoken and fair as Victor would go straight for the money. Though Imogen was selfish and materialistic, perhaps their was a side to her Jovian didn't know about. He wouldn't be surprised, given their distant relationship, yet that thought seemed undeniably false, looking at the way Imogen always presented herself: as though she was some precious gift. Maybe Victor liked strong-willed girls, or maybe he just found her beautiful. No matter what he was there for, he was a good worker and loyal to the family, and even to Jovian, though the two had never spoken before.

"What're you doing, Victor?" Jovian mumbled, though the sentence wasn't nearly as prodding as Jovian meant it to be. Victor absently grabbed the stack of forms and papers and flipped through them, meandering slowly.

His face looked grim. "You look overwheled and scared," He said softly, "No doubt you would be with all that is going on, so I wanted to help you."

"I appreciate the offer, Victor, really, I do, but-"

"But you are stressed and way out of your league. Trust me, sir, I know." Jovian shut his mouth and looked at Victor, trying to study him even though he was still very shocked. "I know I am overstepping my boundaries, but..." Victor trailed, sounding unhappy, "Imogen is worried for you." Jovian jolted, looking almost wildly at the boy in front of him. "She has watched you all these days after the announcement, and she said you have been so reclusive and pale and she was scared for you." Victor peeked at the prince for a moment, before adding, "As am I, your grace."

The notion of anyone in his family being worried for him was enough to send Jovian's thoughts spiraling. He felt dizzy and sick and unprepared for such a thought, and so, with a small wave, he let Victor take over his job and wandered back into his bed to rest, with his thoughts left on his sister and why she was scared for him.


End file.
